Basketball Recap: Amani Gipson Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Stafford

Riverbend won the last time they faced Stafford and things went their way on Tuesday too. The Riverbend Bears skirted past the Stafford Indians 55-53. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Indians are ranked 250th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Riverbend's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Amani Gipson led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and 16 rebounds. Gipson's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Nate Tyler, who went 5 for 11 en route to 19 points and five boards.

Riverbend smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive matchups.

Stafford lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Jackson Wallace, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 16 points and three steals. Wallace is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 16 or more in the last three games he's played. Gabriel Poku was another key player, putting up eight points in addition to five rebounds and three blocks.

Riverbend's win bumped their record up to 13-5. As for Stafford, they have also traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-13 record this season.

Riverbend has already played their next contest, a 67-65 victory against Brooke Point on the 6th. As for Stafford, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 62-58 win against North Stafford on the 5th.